25 odd jobs that technology made redundant

It seems like every day another job is taken over by technology, making previously reliable methods of employment outdated in an instant. While we nervously glance at automated story writing machines, take a stroll down memory lane and revel in the things people used to do for money, from the nostalgic to the ridiculous.

Milkman

Milkman

Way before Amazon Fresh – every morning, like clockwork, the buzz of the electric van, the glint of red, blue and green foil tops… For most, the local friendly milkman would deliver dairy to their door; some lucky so-and-sos would get kitchen essentials like eggs and butter, too. With the rise of home refrigeration the milk stayed, but the profession expired.

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Computer

Computer

If you've seen Hidden Figures, then you know what a computer is — and no, it's not the technology that you're on right now. Dating back to the early 17th century, computers (usually women) would calculate figures and crunch numbers all day long by hand. Yup, that's right, no calculators allowed.

Milkman

Way before Amazon Fresh – every morning, like clockwork, the buzz of the electric van, the glint of red, blue and green foil tops… For most, the local friendly milkman would deliver dairy to their door; some lucky so-and-sos would get kitchen essentials like eggs and butter, too. With the rise of home refrigeration the milk stayed, but the profession expired.

Computer

If you've seen Hidden Figures, then you know what a computer is — and no, it's not the technology that you're on right now. Dating back to the early 17th century, computers (usually women) would calculate figures and crunch numbers all day long by hand. Yup, that's right, no calculators allowed.

Lift operator

Lifts didn't always move with the simple push of a button. Back in the day, they had operators who were in charge of controlling everything from the doors and direction to the speed and capacity of the car — a lot of layers, or should we say levels, to the position. In the '50s, automatic left became more common and individuals had to – wait for it – push their own button!

Lector

We all can relate to needing a little distraction at work. Well, lectors were the source of entertainment back in the '20s. They read news and literature out loud to employees, almost like an adult bedtime story without the bedtime. Although some pastors and educators are called lectors today, this type of lector was dismissed for most-likely being too distracting at work.

Chimney sweep

Mary Poppins may be about to give it a reboot, but this job was around for hundreds of years, peaking during the Industrial Revolution and then falling into a steep decline after the adoption of electric and gas alternatives. While specialists still exist, it has effectively become obsolete. Fun fact: door-to-door chimney sweeps were called knellers.

Knockerupper

Before the first mechanical alarm clock was invented in 1847, people hired knockeruppers to help shoot peas at their windows or tap the glass with long poles so they didn't oversleep for work or during an afternoon snooze. Then the alarm was born, which we all now have a love-hate relationship with.

Linotype operator

Life without a 'delete' key?! We can't even imagine, but former linotype operators definitely can. These highly skilled workers used the linotype, a hot metal typesetting system, to produce the daily newspaper in the late 1880s. Phototypesetting was created in the early 1960s and rapidly replaced all operator positions.

Typist

Typists are still in-demand today – just without the typewriter. In the 1940s, typists were popular positions within the publishing, administrative and clerical industries. The role today has simply been upgraded with computers.

Hacker

We wish we could tell you that hackers (computer hackers, that is) no longer exist, but unfortunately, these working men were more handy with trees than HPs. Hackers were known as woodcutters and were axed, yet again, due to technological advancements.